As producer-star of this indulgent and syrupy tale, Andy Garcia is at least a likable presence: these days a fatherly, and, in some ways, even a grandfatherly figure. City Island is a soapy and farcical drama of family dysfunction, set in a little-known backwater of the Bronx. At its centre, Garcia is the stressed patriarch Vince Rizzo, a prison guard and blue-collar family man. His family all have their secrets, but Vince's own secret is the most shameful of all. He yearns to be an actor, and is covertly taking drama classes in the city, where he meets fellow would-be thesp Molly (Emily Mortimer): Vince's wife, not unreasonably, suspects an affair. There is an awful lot that's very sugary in this film, especially the quirky-cutesy character of Molly, which is frankly a sucrose-overload. This feature might work better as a television series, but Garcia himself gives the picture some much-needed ballast.